Too often people come to me asking what kind of a tree, or what kind of shrubs can be planted in a wet area to dry it up. This is the wrong approach. Most plants, and I mean almost all plants are not going to survive in an area where the soil is soggy for extended periods of time. The roots need to breathe, and planting a tree or shrub in a water area will kill it.

Another common approach is to try and fill the area with topsoil. Depending on a variety of variables, this can work, but many times adding additional soil to a wet area will only shift the water to another area just a few feet away.

If you are lucky enough to have some natural fall to your property, or a drainage ditch nearby, this problem is easy enough to solve. If you happen to live in an area that was developed over the past few years, there might even be a system to remove storm water nearby. In many new home developments I’ve seen stormwater catch basins already installed in backyards. Trust me, this is a good thing. There is nothing worse than having a soggy yard all the time.

If you are fortunate to have some fall to your yard, or a stormwater system that you can drain water into, this problem is easy to solve. Make sure you check with your local officials before you do anything at all with a storm drain.

All you have to do is go to your local building supply center and buy some 4” perforated plastic drain pipe. The best kind for this purpose is the flexible kind that comes in 100’ rolls. This type of drain pipe has small slits all around the pipe. These slits allow water to enter the pipe so it can be carried away.

Just dig a trench from the center of the low area you are trying to drain, to the point that you intend to drain it to. Using a simple line level you can set up a string over top of the trench to make sure that your pipe runs downhill all the way. A line level is a very small level that is designed to attach to a string. Any hardware stores sells them for just a couple of dollars. Set the string up so it is level, then measure from the string to the bottom of your trench to make sure you have constant fall. You should have 6” fall for every 100’ of pipe.

The highest point is going to be the area that you are trying to drain, so you only want your pipe deep enough at this point so it can be covered with soil. Once the trench is dug just lay the pipe in. At the highest end of the pipe you’ll need to insert a strainer into the end of the pipe to keep soil from entering the pipe. Cover the pipe with some washed stone, and then backfill the trench with soil. The washed stone creates a void around the pipe so that the water can find its way into the pipe.

Washed stone is usually inexpensive stone that has been washed so it is clean and free of mud. The only part of the pipe that needs to be exposed is the low end, where the water exits the pipe. Do not put a strainer in that end.

If you do not have anywhere that you can drain the water to, you still might be able to do something. But first consider what is happening, and why the water is standing where it is. Even if you have well drained soil, water cannot soak in fast enough during periods of heavy rain, and it runs across the top of the ground and eventually finds the lowest point, and either leaves the property, or gets trapped.

If you have well drained soil, the trapped water usually soaks in. If you have heavy clay soil, the water lays there, and the soil underneath becomes very compacted, and the problem compounds itself. The more water that stands, the worse the drainage gets.

What I have done in areas like this, where there is standing water, but nowhere to drain it to, is to install a French drain system that actually carries the water away from the low area, and allows it to seep into the ground over a larger distance, where the soil is not quite so compacted. To install this French drain system you do everything exactly as explained above, except instead of draining the water to a lower area, you can send it in any direction you like. Even in the direction from which it came, which is uphill.

When installing this type of system, it’s a good idea to dig a number of shorter trenches, all heading away from the area where the water stands. Using the line level, make sure your trenches fall away from their point of origin so once the water enters the pipes it will flow away from the wet spot. What is going to happen is that during times of heavy rain the low area is still going to trap water, but much of that water is going to seep into the drain pipes and eventually leach into the soil under each trench.

Because this soil has not been compacted by the standing water and the baking sun, it will accept the water. It won’t happen nearly as fast as if you could just drain the water to a ditch, but at least you will have a mechanism in place that will eventually disperse the water back into the soil. It’s a lot easier to leach 200 gallons of water into a series of trenches that total 100 lineal feet, than it is to expect that water to leach into a 10’ by 10’ area that is hard and compact.

Getting Rid of Standing Water in Your Yard is a post from: Home And Family Blogs

If your quest for referrals in finding the perfect florist for you needs is null, you can always do an Internet search. You can also utilize the services of national floral deliveries (FTD) or 1800Flowers.com. These and other national companies will deliver to New York; different companies may or may not charge additional processing or delivery fees.

Blossom Flower Shop is a time-tested florist. With over 80 years of experience in the floral industry, they guarantee you will be satisfied with your purchase. This is a family owned company with 4 generations of floral experts at your service. Blossom Flower Shop delivers to all of New York City. They have professional floral designers who give personal attention to every order.

Another popular florist is New York Plaza Florist. This company specializes in orchids. They also offer a variety of thousands of roses and other flowers. With professional designers on staff you are certain to get a personal touch with every order you place. This company enjoys New York flower deliveries and gives a special touch for your special occasion.

Flower Delivery in New York is a post from: Home And Family Blogs

Growing flowers outdoors from bulbs is simple; in fact, it is so easy that it’s almost foolproof. One of the most important aspects is timing. Bulbs need to be planted about six weeks before the first frost. Bulbs must be planted in an area with good drainage and a lot of sun. Make sure the soil is loose, and then plant the bulbs about six inches in the ground. (Package directions may vary depending on type and location; when directions differ, following your package.) Try to place the bulb in the hole with the pointed end facing up. Cover the hole and water. Voila! You’ve planted your flower bulbs.

Flower bulbs and seeds make flower gardens accessible for everyone. They can be grown virtually anywhere. One idea is to plant them in containers. With container gardens, even apartment dwellers can enjoy the beauty of flowers. Container-grown flower bulbs and seeds also allow growers to defy nature. Flower bulbs can be planted indoors in any season and in any climate, as long as the indoor conditions are favorable for growth.

Flower bulbs are available in many varieties, such as tulips, daffodils, gladiolus, and crocus.

Flower Bulbs: Nature’s Greatest Gift is a post from: Home And Family Blogs

It would be difficult to house all of the different bulbs in one store, and even more overwhelming for a customer to try to decide which one is right for them. Luckily, stores don’t even have to try. Consumers can simply open a flower bulb catalog and see pictures of all of the different varieties available. Many of the catalogs will give all of the pertinent information to consumers—name of flower, colors available, water requirements, sun requirements, geographic area, price, etc. These flower bulb catalogs make it easy for customers to decide at a glance what type of bulb they need.

Jackson and Perkins is a well-known flower bulb catalog company. John Scheepers, Inc. offers a catalog of Dutch flower bulbs. Old House Gardens bills itself as “American’s only source devoted to antique flower bulbs.” Finally, Van Dyck’s offers a catalog of flower bulbs and perennials.

Many of these companies now offer online flower bulb catalogs in addition to or in place of their print catalog. Most also now take orders online and accept credit cards, so it is possible to complete the entire transaction online.

Flower Bulb Catalogs is a post from: Home And Family Blogs

1. What do you really want or need?
Some landscapes are beautiful as they are, but the owners sometimes just want to add new appeal to their homes so they opt to have a landscape job done. Be sure that you have already identified what you want in the landscape design. This should be in your preparatory plan before you even speak to a professional contractor. Once you have your plans you can present them to the contractor to see if everything will work and is possible. The blog on paramountlawns.com is a great place to start for your landscaping ideas.

2. Set a firm budget.
Next you should prepare your budget. Will your dream garden be feasible? Is it practical or do you need to make some adjustments or compromises? The best thing is that you know what you want and you are able to identify alternatives if your budget fails to accommodate your vision. With the plans and budget in place things tend to be easier when negotiating with the contractor. The landscaper will ensure that this project will meet your budget and assure that it will look closely to what you are expecting. Be sure to get accurate measurements so that materials do not accidentally go over budget. Some contractors like to give you the best price in the estimate, but find out later that they can’t provide all the material at the quote given. Which brings us to the next step, get references!

3. Get references.
Know the landscape companies that you are contacting and negotiate with them. Gauge their level of experience and the quality work by asking for photos or tours of their previous projects. You should also ask for references and their professional affiliations. Make sure the company is a legitimate company and that everything is written down. Without written proof of the agreed upon services it is difficult to prove if you are not happy in the end.

Summary
It all boils down to good planning and documentation. If you have a solid plan and ask the right questions you will end up with an exceptional landscape. In the Sacramento California valley, Paramount Properties is the premiere landscaping company. Visit the website for more information and for services.

Finding the Right Landscaping Company is a post from: Home And Family Blogs

The Spiritual Feng Shui sees the whole concept of Feng Shui at the universal level, the level to which your soul belongs and relates. If you practice spiritual Feng Shui you can never think of improving your life at the expanse of harming your neighbor or your environment. The Feng Shui tips that are offered in the article not only aim to highlight the important points one has to remember before practicing it; it also introduces the Feng Shui beginners to the new horizons that the spiritual Feng Shui can open up for them.

Though the spiritual Feng Shui communicates to your environment, your home, your office through the bodily objects, it heals your soul — to know how it works it is important for you to remember the following Feng Shui tips. All these free Feng Shui tips have valuable advice contained in them so try to imbibe them before you start your practice.

There is nothing religious about the Spiritual Feng Shui. It talks about purifying your soul, not only the empty or occupied spaces in your house. The purified soul has the radiations that are reflected from you to have strong positive energies; in Feng Shui practice, these positive energies referred to as Chi, which is the universal energy and the guiding principle.

As one would never build a new home on a rotting foundation; likewise, it is essential to clear away the debris of negativity before you create your new Feng Shui space. Only then can your spirits soar with true energy and vitality.

As you come to recognize the importance of cleansing your old attitude and beginning anew, what ever Feng Shui enhancements that you use for a Feng Shui home design seem to be working for you.

Here are some free Feng Shui tips for everyone:
Look deep into yourself and don’t be afraid to do so! That is the only way to develop and change in a beneficial way. Be honest with yourself – you deserve truth and awareness.
Open your palms, close your eyes and reach your arms up and out, as though you are waiting to be picked up or embraced. (This is necessary for unifying your soul with the universe).
Imagine the energy radiating from your heart, your lungs, your palms and that the energy is touching everything in its path.
Beam the energy away from you, sending it into the farthest corners of the universe.
Repeat this mantra: “I am open to positive change in any form it takes.”

Before you start feng shui decorating with various Feng Shui elements, my sincere Feng Shui advice to all the Feng Shui beginners is to strictly follow the spiritual Feng Shui tips.

May be as your Feng Shui study goes deeper and deeper you would not mind spending some money for buying e books on Feng Shui, but the absolutely free Feng Shui tips that you just now have are the like the foundation stones for the spiritual Feng Shui practice. Remember that these free Feng Shui tips are going to help you a great deal in your long Feng Shui journey.

Once you are positive about accepting changes in your life the Feng Shui is there to help you in what ever you do; remember that Feng Shui is about focusing intentions, rather than just coasting on auto-pilot. Feng Shui is about getting you back into the driver’s seat of your life, it is about accepting responsibility for yourself and your actions not only in this materialist world but also the metaphysical or spiritual world.

Nurturing yourself with Feng Shui practice and making use of the philosophy of Feng Shui in the home design will help you regain your own sense of destiny and purpose within the universe. Before you start any Feng Shui practice, whether it is about understanding Feng Shui Bagua or knowing Feng Shui Elements remember that Feng Shui is a spiritual discipline. It is just not about doing furniture placement using Feng Shui interior design but knowing yourself and your universe better so can get the positive energies from the universe and its objects. Feng Shui elements are nothing different from the elements of universe. If you follow this important piece of Feng Shui advice and bring to practice the above mentioned free Feng Shui nothing can stop you from deriving benefits of Feng Shui.

The Feng Shui masters have provided you with the technical know-how and valuable Feng Shui tips for evaluating your home and implementing Feng Shui techniques and cures. But it is up to you, and only you, to envision and bring about the specific environment and quality of life that you desire.

If you integrate all the above home design tips into your Feng Shui practice you would soon start noticing the positive changes it is having on your life.

Feng Shui tips for everyone is a post from: Home And Family Blogs

“Homeowners are upgrading their outside living and garden areas with unrelenting zeal,” says Kurt Denman, product manager of Benjamin Moore Paints. “Terraces, decks, patios, cabanas, pool houses, gazebos, and outdoor kitchens are additions that Americans spend $40 billion on annually.”

What’s necessary to keep all of this wood in tip-top shape as it faces exposure to the vagaries of Mother Nature?

“Performance is the chief characteristic a consumer should look for in an exterior stain,” advises Denman. “It should protect from the two major culprits affecting wood-water and UV rays.”

Responding to this growing focus on the expanded outdoors lifestyle, Benjamin Moore has developed a new, technologically advanced, premium Exterior Stain Collection that protects and beautifies just about every wood surface. The collection offers an extraordinary palette of hues, with a range inspired by organic life and the outdoors world.

“The best way to choose a color is to look at existing colors around your home,” adds Denman. “Consider the color of your roof, siding, trim, driveway, and surrounding plant life.”

When it comes to finishes, Denman advises that a clear finish is ideal for new or well-maintained wood. It reveals the beauty of the material without obscuring either its grain or texture. With more opacity, the additional pigments provide additional protection and color selection, but mask the grain of the wood while still highlighting the wood’s natural texture. Stains with more opacity are a good choice for older wood that is not in pristine condition or when additional color selection is desirable.

For every type of wood no matter its condition-new, worn, plagued by mildew or mold, or tannin-leached types like redwood or cedar–a preparation coating is available. To ensure your exterior wood assets are protected, they should be coated evenly with a clear finish, relatively soon after installation. Remember, proper preparation is the ultimate determinant of how long the beauty of a staining job will last.

For the best advice on selecting an exterior stain and preparation appropriate for the type of wood on the exterior of your home or other outdoor project, speak to an experienced professional. One last tip: Be sure to test your color selections on the surface to be painted to see if it’s accurate and exactly what you want. Remember that the natural color or grain pattern of the wood itself can greatly influence the final color.

New wood finishes by Benjamin Moore can be a great way to highlight your home’s exterior.

Exteriors Make Your Great Outdoors Greater is a post from: Home And Family Blogs

The easiest money saving strategy is to weather strip doors and windows with a “V” seal type weather stripping. The opening of the “V” should face towards the outside of the home. This will reduce draft in the house and retard heated or cooled air from escaping the house. And the longer the treated air remains in the house, the less the cost to treat the air.

Caulking around window and door frames and caulking around base boards will also retard the loss of treated air from the house. This strategy again will reduce the homeowner’s heating and cooling bill.

Both of these techniques can be accomplished as one weekend project. Do yourself a favor and save money, then grab a refreshment and sit down on your couch.

To ensure that you save energy and money, there are a number of other things that the homeowner can do. Removing the door and window frames and removing the baseboards will expose small and seriously large gaps in the building fabric. By holding your hand over these gaps or using a smoke pencil, you will likely feel and see the extent of the draft. Filling these gaps with fibrous materials and/or caulking will drastically diminish uncomfortable drafts, reduce homeowner heating and cooling costs and therefore save you serious money.
This project will likely take two to three weekends at minimal cost to you.

Window glass is also a significant source of heating and cooling loss to the homeowner. You could replace your present windows with high efficiency windows at a great cost, or you could cover your windows with commercially available clear plastic sheeting. This is especially great in the winter; and you will achieve a substantial reduction in heating costs.

With the savings in energy costs attributed to these easy to do strategies, you could probably by a new couch.

Energy Conservation Puts Money in Your Pocket is a post from: Home And Family Blogs

Florida is popular for nature-lovers. Instead of trying to keep up with garden hobbyists, present a clean, green impression, rather than a mini-arboretum. The decluttered impression that you want for the inside, should apply to the outside. Imagine a buyer coming to view your Tampa Bay Florida real estate house and all they can think is either, “how will I keep up with all those tropical flower beds?” or “how long will it take me to undo all of this?” Not that you should tear down all your hard work from a spectacular garden; just be sure to have it freshly pruned, trimmed and weeded for buyers, so they don’t feel like they have to have a green thumb if they want to buy your home.

Select your plants according to how much sun and water they need. Then, focus on buying smaller selections (or larger if your budget allows) of some of Florida’s award-winning specimens like the East Indian Holly Fern, which is wonderful for mass ground cover, and the Dwarf Golden Dewdrop for a beautiful border shrub with its yellow-gold leaves. Make up for size with color, with the purple-blooming Princess Flower, or the Yellow Elder, that will grow quickly (up to eight or ten feet tall). The plants you pick should attract the eyes to the house with their complimentary shades. For example, forest green trim on a house is complimented by shrubs with yellow leaves, and homes with neutral features can always use a few splashes of dramatic color in their landscaping.

Take a picture of the front of your house with you as you visit nurseries and garden shops. Garden professionals can suggest which colors and varieties will work best for your particular home. They should also be able to tell you what kind of mulch, pebble or lava stones you should use for each. The colors of these can also add a lovely contrast of color.
Plant a few annuals near the mailbox and an odd number of shrubs or hedges in front of the house to create depth. Make your house inviting with colors that compliment, but don’t complicate. If your house is basic in design, plant a few romantic Magnolias or exotic Calathea to break up the lines. Likewise, a house with a modern exterior can be dressed down for the conservative eye with neatly trimmed Serissa Foetida hedges and simple splashes of annuals.

If you want something even more simple, try buying big, decorative pots and filling them with a few shades of hardy flowers. This takes care of catching the eyes of the buyer, yet implies the perfect level of impermanence for the more fickle-natured. You can offer to leave the pots, or take them with you if the buyer doesn’t want them. This can be a quick fix for those who are trying to move, sell and maintain a family and full-time job at the same time. There are plenty of ways to get elaborate with landscaping, but if you need to keep things easy, focus on complimentary colors, hearty specimens and as neat of an exterior as possible, so buyers and visitors will see your house as a breath of fresh, tropical air

Easy Landscaping and Curb Appeal for Florida Homes is a post from: Home And Family Blogs

It’s not surprising that the most common landscape design question that I get is – “where do I begin?” or “how do I start my design?”. I know it can be difficult. And especially if you don’t have a vision for your design.

So where do you begin? How do you start your landscape or garden design?

While every design is different and every designer follows a set of rules and principles, I find that most do it yourselfers all have the greatest success from using the same starting point. Begin by laying down any paths, driveways, access routes, or walk areas that might be needed. And also create access to any areas that you may plan on creating. In many designs, this will help to establish a framework that you can simply design around.

Of course, this won’t be applicable in all designs as many don’t require any access or travel. So take and use this advice where and if you can.

Paths and walkways can accomplish many functions in your landscape or garden. Their main function, of course, is to create a designated space for people to walk on.

However, in design and as an aid to design, their function could be to guide your visitors to, through, or away from some other area in the garden. Also, they’re a great way to break up a vast expanse of lawn, meadow, or bed area.

First, let’s look at walkways, paths, and such as necessary elements.

Walkways are needed to guide visitors or yourself to and from another area. Observe that almost every home has a walkway leading to the front door, which is, of course, where most folks want to invite guests to come. So walks, whether refined (brick, flagstone, etc.) or primitive (gravel, mulch, etc.), are necessary to “guide” or “lead” visitors to, through, or away from an area.

So where are the necessary areas where you need other walkways or access? Maybe from the back door to the alley where you dump the trash. Or from the house to the pool area. Or from the pool area to the kids play area or the outdoor cooking area. You get the picture.

In a design sense.

Establishing walk, drive, and access areas will in turn help to create borders and boundaries. Once you have your walkways laid out, you can simply design a lot of the landscaping around them. The same goes with driveways and parking areas as well. You can plant beds on either or both sides of a walk or use a walkway as an edge to create borders.

Keep it interesting if you can.

If you were to, for instance, plan to place a sitting area at the back of the garden. Of course you would need some type of path for you and your guests to get there. However, instead of plotting a straight path, why not create a winding tour through other interesting areas of the garden on the way there?

Curves and winding paths do more than just create interest. They can also create an illusion of more space, distance, and travel. This is especially useful in creating small gardens and landscapes.

Once you lay down walkways, driveways, and access areas, you’ll have a good starting framework for the rest of the design. Now, simply design around them.

Do It Yourself Landscape Design – Where To Begin is a post from: Home And Family Blogs